Jarreau, Mills lead No. 25 Houston past UConn 63-59

HOUSTON (AP) — DeJon Jarreau had 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Caleb Mills scored 20 points and No. 25 Houston beat UConn 63-59 on Thursday night.

Jarreau and Mills combined for the final 17 points, including 12 free throws, as Houston overcame a six-point deficit in the final 5:15.

Houston (15-4, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) won its third straight despite shooting 36% from the floor. Houston was 25 of 34 from the free throw line in a foul-filled game.

Christian Vital scored 14 points, and Isaiah Whaley added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies (10-8, 1-4), who lost their third straight. UConn shot 36%, including 4 of 16 from 3-point range. UConn was 15 of 23 from the line.

Trailing 50-44 with 5:15 left, Houston went on an 17-5 run and took a 61-55 lead on two free throws by Mills with 12 seconds left.

Jalen Gaffney made a layup and two free throws after Jarreau was whistled for a technical, closing within 61-59 with seven seconds left. Temi Aiyegbusi missed a jumper with five seconds remaining, and Mills grabbed the rebound and sealed the win with two free throws with two seconds left.

BIG PICTURE

UConn: The Huskies fell to 0-4 against ranked teams, including their last three games.

Houston: The Cougars had their third-lowest scoring half of the season with 25 first-half points. Houston won the rebounding battle 42-33 and had just one second-chance point.

FOUL TROUBLE

Houston and UConn combined for 54 fouls, including 23 fouls in the first half. The UConn bench was whistled for a technical foul with 11:13 left in the second half. Gresham was also whistled for a technical foul, along with James Bouknight, with 5:56 left in the game.

UP NEXT

UConn: Hosts Tulsa on Sunday.

Houston: Hosts South Florida on Sunday.